I grew up with practical parents. A mother, God love her, who washed aluminum foil after she cooked in it, then reused it. She was the original recycle queen, before they had a name for it... A father who was happier getting old shoes fixed than buying new ones.

Their marriage was good, their dreams focused. Their best friends lived barely a wave away. I can see them now, Dad in trousers, tee shirt and a hat and Mom in a house dress, lawn mower in one hand, and dish-towel in the other. It was the time for fixing things A curtain rod, the kitchen radio, screen door, the oven door, the hem in a dress Things we keep. It was a way of life, and sometimes it made me crazy. All that re-fixing, eating, renewing, I wanted just once to be wasteful. Waste meant affluence. Throwing things away meant you knew there'd always be more.

But then my mother died, and on that clear summer's night, in the warmth of the hospital room, I was struck with the pain of learning that sometimes there isn't any more.  Sometimes, what we care about most gets all used up and goes away...never to return. So... while we have it... it's best we love it... and care for it....and fix it when it's broken..... and heal it when it's sick.

This is true... for marriages.... and old cars.... and children with bad report cards..... dogs and cats with bad hips.... and aging parents.... and grandparents. We keep them because they are worth it, because we are worth it. Some things we keep. Like a best friend that moved away or a classmate we grew up with.

There are just so many  things that make life important, like people we know who are special..... and so, we keep them close!

Good friends are like stars.... You don't always see them, but you know they are always there.  (KK, Stella, Chong, RickS, P2G, Ayda, EricR, KL, .... each and everyone of them are far away, but has always kept in touch and never giving up on me....)

Keep them close!

No, I didn’t write this (stuff in white fonts. N both my parents are still alive and well.)  Jes somethin someone shared with me today, n I thot worthy of a space in my blog.  It's something I'd intended to write about anyway..

Pls love your parents and grandparents.  Not just with words, but physically and lovingly being there with and for them, as much as possible.  Time passes by too quickly, and before you know it... (let's not go into details...) there's no turning back the clock.  (I'll talk about kids in another post - much later on...)

I've seen people with their aged parents, either in a shopping complex, hospital or restaurant, etc etc and how some (most) of them totally ignore the old folks.  Much like they're towing a cabin trolley along, but never needing to speak or connect with it.  My heart cry for these old people.  They're not alone, yet the loneliness is so evident in their eyes.  You see, providing food and a roof over their heads - is not love.  Providing "food" to warm their hearts and an arm around their shoulders - that's love.  Actually, I'm not good with words, so what i just wrote doesn't half describe what i intend to express.  Just please... at the very least, be very kind and patient with them.

ps: if u think i'm being so emo jes cos i'm a mom - ur dead wrong.  i've been feelin like dis since std3.  mom and dad as my witness.